Amazon says originals off to a strong start

Amazon Studio’s first slate of original pilots have been the most-watched content on the company’s streaming service since they launched on Friday, April 19.

Amazon in the US and its UK service Lovefilm launched 14 pilots, spanning several genres from kids to drama and comedy shows.

Days after launch it said that new pilots made up eight out of the ten most-watched shows on the Instant Video service in the US.

Data for the pilots on Lovefilm in the UK was not released.

Touting the success of the new shows, Amazon said that 80% of the pilots received four or five star reviews.

“Keep the feedback coming—and help us decide which pilots will be turned into full series,” said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. It will decide which shows get greenlit after analysing view rates and review data and is likely to greenlight at least one show in each genre to series.

As well as the TV series, there are currently 25 movies on the development slate and in the processes of being tested with audiences.

Over 14,000 movie scripts and 4,000 series pilot scripts have been submitted to Amazon Studios.